


to be old and somehow not

by ZionPhoenix



Series: Domestic Immortals and their Shenanigans [6]
Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Introspection, Joe and Nicky actually know quite a bit about modern things okay, Nicky is a little shit, Nile has a small crisis, No You Can't Change My Mind, Swearing, don't know what else to tag, it's like blink and you'll miss it, very little at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26068810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZionPhoenix/pseuds/ZionPhoenix
Summary: "I have to walk." He pockets his phone, grabs a jacket and leaves.ORNile finds out that Joe and Nicky are modern men, thank you very much.
Series: Domestic Immortals and their Shenanigans [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863277
Comments: 38
Kudos: 368





	to be old and somehow not

**Author's Note:**

> So, the serious turn towards the end wasn't planned, but these character just do whatever they want *shrug* 
> 
> Rated T for the swearing, apparently. (I have no idea how much swearing and of what kind is needed for that rating, but they do say 'fuck' once or twice.)
> 
> As usual, this is unbetaed, please let me know if you find mistakes, and also if you think I missed any relevant tags.
> 
> Enjoy!

**February 2020, somewhere in Belgium**

It takes a few days for Nile to notice, but once she does, she cannot ignore it. Joe and Nicky can't stay still. When the sit they tap a foot or finger, shake their leg. When they stand they either pace, or tap their foot when they can't. They're constantly fidgeting. It's slowly driving her insane, but she doesn't know how to react. After 3 days she decides to ask them about it after breakfast, but it seems like Nicky has other plans, as he gets up after clearing his plate, and carries his dishes into the kitchen. "I have to walk."

He pockets his phone, grabs a jacket and leaves. The other two don't say anything about it, and they carry on about their day, Nile cleaning all the guns in the house, and Andy reading on the sofa, Joe beside her, sketching. Joe manages another hour before he, too, grabs a jacket.

"Me too." And with that Andy and Nile are alone.

"What is up with them? Are they fighting or something?" Nile finally asks. She didn't see any other signs of the couple fighting, but who knows.

"No, they just need to walk." That is all she gets for an answer, and Nile internally curses Andy for never elaborating on anything, unless necessary. But to be fair, she is reading, so Nile leaves her to it, and continues cleaning their weapons. She will just ask Joe and Nicky when they get back later.

Later turns out to be 9pm. They come back together, huddled into their jackets. "We saved you dinner." Andy says from the living room in lieu of a greeting, and they beeline straight to the kitchen, coming out a few minutes later with reheated food. Nile sits down with them at the table, waiting for them to finish. They're not fidgeting anymore, she realises. No more toe tapping or leg shaking. Joe pushes away his plate once he's done, patting his stomach.

"Ah, that was good. Your cooking is getting better every time, Nile. But it's especially good after we haven't eaten anything since breakfast." Beside him, Nicky nods in agreement, still eating.

"You haven't eaten anything since breakfast? What the hell were you doing the whole day?"

"Didn't Andy tell you? We were walking." Nicky says it so matter of factly, like that is all the info needed.

"So you were literally just walking? The whole day?" The look they share seems to say something like 'kids these days'.

"Yes. Back when there weren't any cars you'd either go by foot or by horse. For quite a few years-"

"Decades, more like." Nicky interjects.

"Nicky and I travelled everywhere by foot."

"We walked for most of the day. Sometimes we travelled on horseback, but always preferred walking. When other means of travel were invented we of course went with the times."

"But the urge to walk started build up over time, and then we just go on a day-long walk." Nile nods in understanding.

"So, that's why you were so fidgety the last few days. Next time you start shaking your legs I'll throw you out immediately, it was driving me insane." They share another look, and instantly Nicky starts shaking his leg, with a shiteating grin on his face. Nile restraints herself to kicking him once.

"Yes. Also, it racks up some serious distance with adventure sync. I think I hatched like 15 eggs today." Joe leans back in his seat, grinning. Beside him, Nicky scoffs.

"Only 15? I managed 20." Joe huffs.

"Need I remind you that you had a headstart of over an hour?" Nile looks from one to the other, like she's following a tennis match.

"Wait, are you, are you talking about Pokémon GO?" She asks, incredulous. Her voice is barely above a whisper. They stare back at her like she has grown a second head.

"Of course we are." She still couldn't believe them. There they are, two 900 year old immortals, telling her that they play Pokémon GO in their free time.

"You're kidding, right?" She can hear how her voice has climbed about an octave.

"No, why would we? Do you want to see my shiny Groudon? It's green, ugly, and its stats are shit." Her head is spinning.

"Do I want- no, I don't want to see your shiny Groudon, Joe. I want to know why the fuck you are playing Pokémon GO. It's 2020 guys, no one even plays it anymore. Are you even allowed to? Does Andy know?" Nicky shakes his head, looking disappointed.

"Really Nile, you feel the need to judge our taste in games? Aren't you the one playing Candy Crush the whole day?" She opens her mouth to protest, but Nicky keeps talking. "It's actually good that less people play it now than 4 years ago. Not that it ever was a problem. But yes, Andy knows, and yes, we are allowed to. You know our rules about the internet, and none of them are broken with this."

"Okay, fine. It's just- I don't know, I have a hard time reconciling the fact that you're over 900 years old with the fact that you know and play Pokémon GO. How do you even know about it?" This time it is Joe who answers.

"A friend from university was shocked that we had never played Pokémon and basically made us play through all the games they had. When it came out it reminded us of them, and we decided to give it a try." Nile is once again feeling like everything she's ever known is a lie.

"You went to university?" Her voice breaks only slighty.

"Yes, many times over the years. The last time was in 2015."

"And you actually made friends?"

"Nile, we are allowed to make friends. Of course there are some rules, but it's hard to attend university for over a year and not make friends. That one was a really good time though, we were playing lots of Magic, do you remember Nicky?"

"Of course I do. Hey Nile, do you want to learn Magic: The Gathering? You'll have to wait until we're in a safe house where we keep decks, though. But it's lots of fun." Nile only manages to nods quickly, her head feels close to spinning again.

"Come on babe, let's give her some time to process. We'll be in the living room, alright?" She just waves them off absentmindedly. They both sympathetically pat her shoulder when they leave, talking in their own language of long extinct dialects, but Nile was sure she hears the words 'Kyogre' and 'Ho-Oh'. They are relicts of the past, but they aren't bound to it. They're not constantly living in their past and the "what if"s. They're living in the present.

Maybe, Nile thinks, this is the key to happiness in their life.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Let me know what you think, kudos and comments are, as always, highly appreciated and make my day.


End file.
